This invention relates to oral feeding bottles and more particularly to a novel sterilisable oral feeding bottle and a method of sterilisation therefor.
There are a wide variety of infant oral feeding bottles on the market. In general, their components comprise a feed container, which is usually transparent and made of glass or plastics material, the container having at its open end a neck to which is releasably connected a feed dispensing means, usually a teat, formed of rubber or plastics material. The feed container is usually provided with a screw thread about its neck, and a threaded retaining collar is used to connect the feed dispensing means to the container.
Other components which can form part of a conventional infant oral feeding bottle include a sealing disc, which is used to cover the open end of the feed container when the feeding bottle is not in use, and a dormal cap which is a press fit on the retaining collar and is shaped in order to accommodate and protect the feed dispensing means when it is connected in its operative position.
After each feed it is important that the infant oral feeding bottle component parts should be sterilised, and a wide variety of sterilisers and sterilisation methods have been proposed. The term xe2x80x9csterilisationxe2x80x9d for this purpose is used to indicate a certain standard which is generally accepted as being capable of killing the harmful bacteria that might be dangerous to young babies if such bacteria were to come into contact with the feed. This standard is more correctly called xe2x80x9cdisinfectionxe2x80x9d. Most of the products and methods which have been proposed, however, are called respectively xe2x80x9csterilisersxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9csterilisationxe2x80x9d and this is the term which will henceforth be used in this document.
It is generally accepted that moist heat, steam or water at 80xc2x0 C. for one minute on the surface of the components of the feeding bottle is sufficient to kill harmful bacteria and to sterilise the bottle components for use.
One method of sterilisation which is commonly used is to use a chemical bath into which the components are totally submerged for at least 30 minutes. This has the disadvantage that it takes a long time, and the recommended time period has to be restarted if further components are added to those already submerged. In addition, all traces of the chemical have to be removed as the chemical is harmful to ingest. For this reason, it is recommended that the bottle components are rinsed in recently boiled water after sterilisation, which can itself give rise to possible to re-infection.
Electrical sterilisers are also commercially available, and typically these can comprise an enclosed container capable of receiving six feeding bottles in disassembled state. A predetermined quantity of water, usually 30 ml or 40 ml is placed on a heater dish and boiled dry. The steam created sterilises the surfaces of all the feeding bottle components. The process takes from five to ten minutes, and is thus quicker than the chemical method, and probably more reliable, but does require a relatively expensive electrical device. The device is considerably more expensive than an electrical kettle, for example.
A further method which has been proposed is to place all of the feeding bottle components into a vessel together with a quantity of water, and to boil the water by placing the container in a microwave oven for a specific period sufficient to create steam within the vessel. The process takes approximately 10 minutes as the bottle components and the vessel itself also absorb heat, thus delaying the rise in temperature of the water.
Other sterilisation methods use a carrier for the feeding bottle components which is placed in a container over a pan of water so that the steam rises into the container as the pan of water is brought to the boil, eventually sterilising all the components. This is a fairly lengthy procedure. Alternatively, all the feeding bottle components are placed in a pan of boiling water and the water kept boiling for some time. If, in this latter method, some of the components are made of plastics that float or contain air bubbles that allow them to float, it cannot be established exactly how long they must stay in the boiling water in order to sterilise them.
As will be seen from the above, all of the known sterilisation methods use either expensive equipment, or potentially harmful chemicals, or take a considerable time to sterilise the components of a feeding bottle.
According to the present invention, instead of placing water in a separate vessel, and then loading the feeding bottle components into this vessel, closing it and boiling the water either by an electrical heated dish or by a microwave oven, the sterilising fluid is introduced into the feed container to be sterilised, or into a novel cap which is releasably connectable to the open end of the feed container.
In a first aspect, the invention provides an oral feeding bottle, comprising a feed container having an open end and a feed dispensing means releasably connectable therewith, and a cap, adapted to fit over the open end of the feed container and to be releasably connected to the feed container, the cap being provided with means for stowing the feed dispensing means when the feed dispensing means is released from the container, whereby, when the cap is connected to the container, sterilisation of the feed dispensing means and the feed container can be carried out with a sterilising medium.
In another aspect, the invention provides a method for sterilising an oral feeding bottle, the bottle comprising a feed container having an open end and a feed dispensing means releasably connectable therewith, wherein a sterilising chamber is formed from the feed container and a cap releasably engagable therewith, the chamber so formed enclosing the feed dispensing means, whereby sterilisation of the feed dispensing means and the interior of the feed container can take place using a sterilising medium disposed within the chamber.
In a further aspect, the invention provides a cap for an oral feeding bottle, the bottle comprising a feed container having an open end and a feed dispensing means releasably connectable therewith, the cap being adapted to fit over the open end of the container and to be releasably connectable therewith, wherein the cap is provided with means for stowing the feed dispensing means when the feed dispensing means is released from the container and the cap is connected to the feed container, whereby sterilisation of the feed dispensing means and the interior of the feed container can be carried out with a sterilising medium.
The feed container comprises a hollow body, which for example, can be cylindrical or square shaped in cross-sections. The feed container may be transparent and formed from glass or a plastics material, and can be provided with a neck and shoulder at its open end. The feed container can also desirably be provided with a graduated scale indicating the volume of the contents.
The open end or neck of the feed container is preferably provided with a screw thread co-operable with a screw threaded retaining collar for connecting the feed dispensing means to the feed container. The feed dispensing means normally is a teat or spout which can be formed from a rubber or plastics material. The teat or spout can be provided with a circumferential flange which is gripped by the retaining collar and serves to secure the teat to the open end of the feed container.
Other optional components of the oral feeding bottle of the invention include a sealing disc, which can co-operate with the retaining collar to seal the feed container, optionally with the teat or spout inverted therein.
In a yet further aspect of the invention a pair of tongs are provided for handling the sterilised components of the oral feeding bottle. According to this aspect of the invention, an oral feeding bottle comprises a feed container having an open end, feed dispensing means releasably connectable therewith, a cap adopted to fit over the open end of the feed container, and a pair of tongs adapted to be stowed in the cap in such a manner that the cap can still be connected to the feed container. Finally, in certain embodiments a dormal cap of conventional type can also be used.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, all the de-mountable components of the oral feeding bottle other than the feed container can be stowed in the cap of the invention. Preferably the cap is adapted to be a press fit onto a shoulder, or onto one or more peripheral projections, on the feed container.
The cap of the invention can take the place of the conventional dormal cap normally supplied with an oral feeding bottle, or can be adapted to receive a conventional dormal cap stowed therein. Preferably the cap of the invention is adapted to be releasably connectable to the feed container in such a manner that the threads surrounding the open end or neck of the feed container can also be treated by the sterilising medium and can be protected from contamination until all the components of the oral feeding bottle are re-assembled. Assembly of the components of the oral feeding bottle can conveniently be carried out using the tongs previously referred to, without the need to handle any of the components.
The means for stowing the feed dispensing means and other components of the oral feeding bottle within the cap can, for example, comprise webs, projections, indents, ledges, shoulders and other shaped configurations for receiving, and preferably retaining, components of the oral feeding bottle. It will be appreciated that the means for stowing the components within the cap are preferably as simple as possible, and should, as far as possible, be devoid of re-entrant and undercut portions which might provide regions difficult to sterilise or make the cap difficult to mould. It will also be appreciated that, whilst the means for stowing the components of the oral feeding bottle are disposed within the cap of the invention, the components when stowed need not be wholly within the cap and, for example, the teat may protrude into the interior of the feed container.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the tongs may, but need not necessarily, be omitted, and the components stowed within the cap in such a manner that the cap can be pushed down over the open end of the feed container to bring the retaining collar into abutment with the neck of the feed container. In the embodiment, the cap and collar can, for example, be turned in order to connect the collar to the neck of the feed container.
The collar and neck portion can, for example, be provided with inter-engaging threads. The components can be so assembled in the cap that, for example, the collar connects either the feed dispensing means, or the sealing disc, or both, to the neck of the feed container. Thus the cap can be used to offer the collar, together with the feed dispensing means, or the sealing disc, or both, to the feed container for connection, without the need to handle any of these components.
It is important that, when the components of the oral feeding bottle are stowed in the cap of the invention, as far as possible all their surfaces should be freely accessible to the sterilising medium.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, sterilisation of the oral feeding bottle is carried out using a microwave oven. Thus, for example, a small quantity of water can be disposed within the feed container or the cap of the invention, and the cap with the other components of the oral feeding bottle stowed therein, and the feed container, can be assembled together. The bottle can then be placed within a microwave oven, either upright, or tilted on its side, or inverted, and the water boiled by activating the oven for a specific time, in general, about 10 ml to 100 ml, preferably 15 ml to 30 ml, for example, about 20 ml of water is used in the method of the invention, and boiled for from 1 to 5 minutes per bottle. Although less preferred, it would be possible to use a sterilising chemical fluid in place of the boiling water, thereby avoiding the use of a microwave oven. However, a larger quantity of fluid may need to be used, and the time taken would be much longer.
From the above description it can be seen that the cap of the invention, when attached to the feed container, in effect forms a sterilising chamber. Any number of oral feeding bottles according to the invention, each containing the requisite amount of water, can be placed in a microwave oven and sterilised by boiling the water. When the microwave oven is activated, the boiling water creates steam which is able to surround the components stowed in the cap of the invention, and preferably also the thread around the open end or neck of the feed container as well as sterilising the interior of the feed container itself. Thus all the components that are in direct contact with the feed to be given to the infant can receive the moist heat in order to sterilise their surfaces. The only areas that are not fully exposed to the sterilising moist heat are the outside base of the bottle and the outside of the cap of the invention. These areas are in any case likely to be subject to contamination by handling, or storage in a refrigerator, after sterilising in any conventional steriliser.
It can be seen that, in the method of the invention, the cap of the invention can keep all of the sterilised components of the oral feeding bottle and their surfaces protected until the feed is disposed in the feed container. Even at this stage, by use of the tongs as previously discussed, the teat retaining collar and sealing disc need not be handled, but can be placed in the desired position using the tongs.
In the preferred method of the invention, in which sterilisation is carried out using steam, preferably by placing the oral feeding bottle within a microwave oven, the bottle is preferably provided with means for venting excess steam and preventing a build up of pressure within the sterilising chamber formed by the feed container and the cap of the invention. The venting means can comprise, for example, one or more small holes, or apertures in the wall of the cap of the invention. Alternatively, a discontinuity can be provided, in either the cap or the exterior of the feed container, whereby steam can escape between the cap and the exterior wall of the feed container. In one embodiment, for example, the feed container can be provided with a projecting lip or ridge over which the cap of the invention is a press fit. Discontinuities or recesses in either the cap or the lip at the point of engagement can provide convenient venting means for escape of excess steam and also allow any remaining water to be emptied from the feeding bottle after sterilisation. Alternatively, the cap may be provided with a valve for this purpose.
In a further embodiment, the cap of the invention can be provided with one or more projecting legs or ledges at one or more sides thereof, whereby the oral feeding bottle can be laid down at an angle to the horizontal to minimise the possibility of water draining out of the neck of the feed container during the sterilisation procedure. This would be more likely to occur if the bottle were laid completely horizontally, as may be necessary in some smaller microwave ovens. In certain embodiments, the water to be boiled can be placed in the cap of the invention, and the bottle assembly inverted to stand on the cap, with the feed container extending above it.
In another preferred embodiment, the cap of the invention can be provided with an additional grid in order to receive and retain the components to be stowed. This embodiment is particularly useful if the feeding bottle has a conventional dormal cap and enables the cap of the invention to be used with a conventional oral feeding bottle. In this embodiment, the cap of the invention may be provided with an ejector device to enable the components of the oral feeding bottle, particularly the conventional dormal cap, to be ejected from the cap of the invention, for assembly in the normal way. The grid can also, if desired, carry the projecting leg or ledge for supporting the bottle when laid on its side. The grid can be, for example, a press fit, a screw fit, or an interference fit in the cap.
In order to re-assemble the components of the bottle without introducing contamination it is preferred to use a pair of tongs as previously described. When the tongs are stowed in the cap of the invention, it is desirable that they can be readily accessed, preferably without first removing the other components.
Accordingly, in another preferred embodiment, the cap of the invention is in two separable parts, preferable comprising a body portion and a removable sub-top. The tongs can then be stowed in the sub-top or at the top of the body portion, so that they are visible and readily accessible on removal of the sub-top. The sub-top can be, for example, a press fit on, hinged to, or screwed on, the body portion of the cap. Removal of the sub-top can make it easier, or possible, to use the body portion of the cap to connect the retaining collar to the neck of the feed container without the need to handle the collar, as previously described.
Preferably, the feed dispensing means, when disposed in the cap, can be engaged with the container for assembly of the feed container without the need for other contact with the feed dispensing means. When a sub-top is provided, said feed dispensing means may be engaged with the feed container through an opening of the cap to which the sub-top is connected.
Moreover, the retaining collar, when disposed in the cap, can preferably be engaged with the container for assembly of the feed container without the need for other contact with the retaining collar. In this event, said retaining collar and cap may have respective interengagable detent means preventing relative rotation thereof, whereby rotation of the cap permits screw-threading of the collar onto the threaded portion of the neck of the container.
In still another preferred embodiment of the invention, the sealing disc is stowed within the cap in such a manner that it blocks the outlet of the feed dispensing means when the feed dispensing means is connected to the feed container. Thus if the feed container containing liquid feed should be knocked over, the sealing disc can prevent or reduce the loss of liquid feed through the outlet of the feed dispensing means. This is yet another separate aspect of the invention. In this embodiment, the sealing disc and the tongs are both preferably stowed in the sub-top. The sealing disc is preferably stowed in the sub-top in such a manner that it can be dislodged by tilting, for example, by applying pressure to one side of a face of the disc.